Kings Beach

Location

Javascript is required to view this map.

Kings Beach, a small suburb with houses and high-rise apartments extends eastwards from Caloundra's central business area to Caloundra Head (Wickam Point). The beach, protected by the head, faces south-east. It was probably named after Kings' Grand Central Guest House at the corner of Edmund and Burgess Streets (subsequently the site of the Hotel Perle and the Kings Beach Taverna).

Kings Beach was the place of choice for Caloundra's first holiday makers with Surf House on the Esplanade, Omar House to the west and Kings' Grand Central: Alan King, boarding house proprietor, was first listed in Pugh's post office directory in 1900.

In 1925 the Caloundra Beach Estate (Kings Beach) was released. The beach's popularity grew to the extent that a large pavilion with a kiosk and change rooms was built in 1937, four years after the Caloundra surf life-saving club began patrols. A creek was filled-in for car parking.

During World War II the beach was filled with barbed wire defences, but its popularity resumed in peace time. An Anzac memorial was dedicated at Caloundra Head in 1948. During the 1950s holiday houses, often of fibro and with rainwater tanks, went up as Caloundra's population rose from about 2000 to 4000 people. The extravagant Hotel Perle (1 million pounds) was built in 1957. During the 1960s-70s land and beachfront development moved up and down the coast from Caloundra readying Kings Beach for a second wave of high-rise development. Beach swimming continued to have a place, particularly in the Sir Frank Nicklin ocean pool (1977). Nevertheless, high-rise along the headland is the dominant architecture.

Kings Beach's census populations have been:

census date

population

2006

2190

2011

2528

At the 2011 census the median age of residents was 46, compared with 37 for Australia.